Though -- as has been pointed out -- this is an ancient thread resurrected by some post necromancy spell, I'll respond. @s8us89ds The OP had expressed an interest in plants <u>native to Maryland</u>. This, then, would translate to winter hardy/temperate plants. Perennial plants native to the northern regions require a cold winter dormancy -- even the evergreens. It is not merely a matter of utilizing "indoor grow lights". It is more a matter of providing the freezing or near freezing temps these plants require to go and remain in a dormant state for 3-6 months of the year. Without it, they decline and die. This makes them unsuitable as houseplants as there is no practical way to provide them with such conditions indoors. (Even bonsai trees -- if species from the "Great White North" are used -- MUST be given a cold dormancy.) Now perhaps it might be possible to selectively breed for a lack of dormancy. However, such a program would take years to bear fruit (so to speak) and would likely result in plants which would not go dormant when reintroduced to outdoor life. This would nullify their usefulness as a way to replenish outdoor natives. Finally, most live plants simply do not work well in vivariums long term. Providing conditions the plant require to thrive (not merely survive) whilst simultaneously providing the correct conditions for animals is surprisingly difficult. Furthermore, animals typically beat the heck out of live plants in the confines of a terrarium in short order. (Think how quickly the grass in one's yard gets killed off in certain spots because of all the foot traffic.)

I don't know if I could list them all. Off the top of my head, the native plants that I have: Azalea Beauty Berry Dogwoods Downy Phlox Trillium Cuneatum Trillium Decumbens Trillium Erectum Solomon's Seal Bluet Bloodroot Mayapples Columbine Iris Cristata Geranium Heuchera Americana Oxalis violaceae pink, white, and yellow Rue Anemone False Rue Anemone Foamflower Hepatica Asarum Arifolia Fire Pink Indian Pink Iris Cristata purple and white Jack in the Pulpit Oakleaf Hydrangea Viola Walteri Unknown variegated violet Spiderwort Trout Lily Lots of different native ferns Green Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan Butterfly Weed Blue Shooting Star Coreopsis Honeysuckle Mountain Laurel Ox-Eye Daisy Verbena Wild Petunia Bee Balm Trumpet Vine Cross Vine St. John's Wort Lizard's Tail Green Dragon A great site to look at is www.briartech.com/floweringplants.htm Deb

I haven't tried to grow the Gregg's Mistflower from seed, but have noticed the clumps can get bigger and be divided over time. I agree it's a good plant for butterflies. I also like the Turk's Cap. Then there's White Mistflower, Eupatorium havanense, which especially draws them in when fall comes. There's many native salvias that are good nectar plants, Salvia coccinea and Salvia greggi, for instance. Purple Horsemint, Monardia citriodora is one of my favorites here. And I've recently discovered Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata, which the butterflies love and it's xeriscape! Aromatic Aster, Symphotrichum oblongifolium is nice also. The only milkweeds that do very well here are the Tropical Milkweed (yes, not a Texas native, but native to Mexico, which is just across the Texas border, so many Texas native plant people include it) and Texas Milkweed, Asclepias texana (don't know if it would grow where you are, but it does well here). If there's a chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas nearby, they could probably help with what can actually grow in your area. I found a copy of Butterfly Gardening for the South recently to send to my daughter in Houston who is having a house built there. Very good book and has a lot of Texas natives! It seems to be out of print, so hard to find, but there might be copies in the libraries.

Its interesting to see people's lists. Even more interesting to think about whether there's much value in getting really specific about variety of each type. Should we just write 'Jalapeno' or should we say 'Ixtapa Jalapeno' vs. 'Chichimeca Jalapeno', etc. I guess for most purposes, esp. guiding beginners a general list is more useful, but I'm guessing that many people on this list would like to see even more specific favorites listed. In that vein, here's my current list: Jalapeno 'Chichimeca' Paprika Supreme Golden Cayenne Ancho 'San Martin' Spanish Spice